(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gaming machines of the type arranged to play a game of poker, and in particular the invention provides an improvement to a game played on such a machine.
Players who regularly play gaming machines frequently tire of particular games. It therefore becomes desirable for gaming machine manufacturers to come up with innovative game features that add interest to the games, thereby keeping the players amused and willing to continue playing.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Gaming or poker machines have been well-known in the state of New. South Wales for many years and have more recently gained considerable popularity throughout Australia, with quite substantial amounts of money being wagered on these machines. There is a growing tendency for State Governments to legalise the use of gaming machines by licensing operators, with resulting revenue gains through license fees and taxation of monies invested. The licensed operation of gaming machines is the subject of State legislation and regulation. This regulation almost always dictates a minimum percentage payout for a gaming machine. For example, the regulatory controls may ensure a minimum of 85% of monies invested must be returned as winnings. Manufacturers of gaming machines must therefore design their machines around these regulatory controls.
With the growth that has occurred in the gaming machine market there is intense competition between manufacturers to supply the various existing and new venues. When selecting a supplier of gaming machines, the operator of a venue will often pay close attention to the popularity of various games with their patrons. Therefore, gaming machine manufacturers are keen to devise games which are popular with players, as a mechanism for improving sales.
Many varied strategies have been tried in the past to make games more enticing to players. For example, in the commonly-known "double-up" feature a player is provided with the option of risking the winnings of a game in a double-or-nothing mode by gambling it on a subsequent and often different game, such as whether a red or black card will be the next card drawn.
Other techniques adopted in the past have been to provide complexity in the numbering and combinations of indicia which would result in a win, thereby hoping to convince the player that there is a greater chance of winning and keep their interest in a particular game.